Attorney Maureen Keegan of Basch & Keegan, LLP recently obtained a six-figure slip and fall lawsuit settlement for her client who sustained permanent injuries due to negligence. The victim, an Ulster County woman, slipped and fell on ice while walking across a parking lot at her place of employment. She suffered extensive soft-tissue injuries and aggravated a preexisting shoulder condition that had just become stable following a prior surgery.
Property Owner’s Responsibility to Prevent Slipping on Ice
Slip and fall accidents like this, usually happen in parking lots or on sidewalks outside of businesses. The property owners have a duty to promptly remove snow, ice, and other debris and to otherwise exercise reasonable care to maintain their property in a reasonably safe condition. If the ice occurs due to recent precipitation, there is a small window of time that relieves the property owner of liability. That was not the case with Maureen’s client. Maureen was able to prove that for ten days the property owner had ignored dangerous patches of ice, failed to warn of risks, and had neglected to put down sand, salt or other abrasives. The client was unable to return to work due to her injuries and never regained full functionality of her arm.
Is Your Case Worth Pursuing?
Often in slip and fall cases, the victim's own accountability will be called into question (e.g. “Were you distracted? Not looking where you were going?”) which some feel will prohibit them from obtaining a settlement in their favor. While a reasonable assumption, this is not necessarily true, as we see time and time again. If this is your concern with your own slip and fall accident please call us at (845) 251-4545 and we can help you assess whether your case might be worth pursuing.